High T3

I have experienced weight loss, heavy urination, trouble sleeping, heart pounding and agitation over the last 6 months. In spite of eating a huge amount of food, I can't seem to gain weight. I have been blood tested and ct scanned with (fortunately) no problems found. The exception is my thyroid values. My doctor tells me my TSH is 0.8, my T4 is in range but my T3 is out of range high. She is not concerned about this result on the T3 and I should not be concerned. Anyone??? This does not seem right to me. Any comments very much appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply K9Mom. I have requested the actual results from my doctor so I can see what the lab's normal ranges are....and how far out my T3 is on the top side. I also want to see if they ran a free T3 along with the total. As I recall, my doctor said that bound T3 is not a problem if it is high. Do you know anything about this? Thanks!

Is there anything particularly special about your diet. Some foods mess with your Thyroid more than others. Those items rich in Selenium, Iodine (in iodized salt) and others all contribute to thyroid function.

Total T3 and Total T4 are measurements of all the T3 and T4 in your body. 97.9% of that thyroid hormone is bound to proteins and therefore unavailable for your body's cells to utilize (so it's not usable to us).

Free T3 and Free T4 lab tests will test only the amount of T3 and T4 that is "free" and not bound to proteins, therefore it is the only thyroid hormone that our cells can use.

The "Free" tests are MUCH more accurate in evaluating thyroid function.

Also the Total T's can give erroneous results due to estrogens (probably not a problem for you such as HRT and birth control pills) as well as over the counter and prescription medications...even asprin!

Thanks for the comments folks. I had been on a low fat diet, but nothing exotic at all. I received my results from the Dr. today and the TOTAL T3 was 230 vs a lab range of 80 to 180. No free T3 was run. I would like to get a better handle on the situation. Guess I'll have to talk to the Dr. again. Thanks!

Dr. Rubin in his Thyroid for Dummies book says this about the lab tests:

"Some of the drugs that can raise the level of TT4 in yoru blood include:
Estrogenic hormones taken for hormone replacement or birth control
Amiodarone, a drug used for the heart
Amphetamines
Methadone

Some clinical states that can raise TT4 levels include
High estrogen states, such as pregnancy
Acute illness, such as AIDS or hepatitis
Acute psychiatric problems

Conversely, some drugs and physical conditions tend to lower the results of a TT4 test (because they depress the amount of thyroxine-binding protein), while not impacting the amount of free thyroxine (FT4). The drugs that have this impact include:
Androgens, male hormones taken to build muscle
Steroids, usually given to reduce inflammation
Nicotinic acid, given to lower harmful blood fats
Asprin in high doses (more than 3,000 milligrams daily)

I have experienced weight loss, heavy urination, trouble sleeping, heart pounding and agitation over the last 6 months. In spite of eating a huge amount of food, I can't seem to gain weight. I have been blood tested and ct scanned with (fortunately) no problems found. The exception is my thyroid values. My doctor tells me my TSH is 0.8, my T4 is in range but my T3 is out of range high. She is not concerned about this result on the T3 and I should not be concerned. Anyone??? This does not seem right to me. Any comments very much appreciated. Thanks!

sure sounds like you're hypER to me ... and how on earth could she ignore your symptoms? sounds like she's another one who treats the lab sheet ...

jb

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